Lifting a boat on top of a carrier vehicle proves difficult for several reasons. First, the boat is heavy and awkward. Secondly, when pushing the boat on top of the carrier from behind the vehicle, it is difficult if not impossible to guide the front portion of the boat. When placing the boat on two cross bars it is often necessary to rest the front of the boat on any portion of the cross bar in the first step. Then, go to the front of the carrier vehicle in the second step and align the front of the boat. After alignment is accomplished, it is necessary to push the boat forward again. The requirement for pushing and aligning the boat can take several trips from the back to the front of the carrier vehicle.
Securing the boat after it has been placed atop the carrier vehicle has also proven difficult. Either the boat has to be perfectly aligned when being placed atop the carrier so the boat may be locked in place; or, the devices which secure the boat must be moved into place after the boat is atop the carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,954 sets forth a mechanism which aids in the loading of a boat onto the top of a recreation vehicle. The mechanism includes a winch and pulley which aids in the pulling of the boat from the ground into place. The emphasis of U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,954 is not the alignment of the boat, but rather getting the boat on top the vehicle. In carrying out this function, it is necessary that time be spent in hooking up the boat to the mechanism. Also, the mechanism is composed of several moving parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,812 approaches the problem of raising, positioning and securing a boat on top of a carrier vehicle. A winch and rail are necessary to bring the boat atop the carrier. In this invention; also, the means of positioning and the means whereby the boat is secured require several different and distinct moving parts.
The alignment and locking system set forth herein handles the problems of loading a "V" bowed boat. First, as to guiding the boat into alignment. One of each of the alignment and locking devices are placed opposite of each other on the front cross bar. If the boat, which is being pushed from behind, is off center, the slanted extension of the device will cause the boat to slide into alignment.
The device takes advantage of the rails on either side of the boat to secure the boat to the front cross bar. Once the front of the boat is aligned, the boat is pushed forward across the two cross bars.
The locking and alignment devices are adjustable so that the rails on either side of the boat fit snuggly between the front cross bar and an extended upper platform on each of the devices.
The boat is pushed forward to a point where the rails of the boat are pushed up against a clamping platform of both the devices.
Thus, with these two permanently fixed devices, both the problem of alignment and the problem of securing the boat are corrected in reference to the front cross bar.